1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is generally related to a throttle control mechanism for a marine propulsion system and, more particularly, to a haptic feedback system that provides a vibratory signal that is intended to convey information to the operator of a marine vessel concerning and operating characteristic of an engine of the marine propulsion system.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Many different types of throttle control mechanisms are well known to those skilled in the art of marine propulsion systems. Typically, an operator controlled movable throttle handle is pivotally attached to a housing structure to allow the handle to be rotated about an axis by the operator of a marine vessel in order to cause the propulsion system to select either a forward or reverse gear position and to command a speed signal to a controller of the engine.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,091,321, which issued to Karell on Jul. 18, 2000, describes a method and apparatus for a vibratory indicator for use in vehicles. The device is intended to alert a driver by use of vibratory indicator, which may be located within a seat or on a driver's person. An example is an uncancelled turn signal indicator which senses that the turn signal indicator has been selected for more than an appropriate period of activation and upon sensing this condition, the driver's seat vibrates alerting the driver of the presence of this condition. Other indicators within vehicles use vibratory means to alert the driver. The vibratory indicator may be used as a back-up to audible or visual indicators.
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/804,486, which was filed by Aaltonen et al. on Sep. 12, 2002, describes a mobile phone featuring audio-modulated vibrotactile module. A telecommunications network includes a mobile phone with an audio-modulated vibrotactile module that responds to a telecommunications signal containing information about incoming speech from a called/calling party, for providing an audio-modulated vibrotactile module force containing information about the incoming speech from the called/calling party to vibrate a user's fingers, facial skin, wrist, cheek or other suitable location. The audio-modulated vibrotactile module has an audio-to-vibrotactile converter that responds to the telecommunications signal, for providing an audio-to-vibrotactile converter signal containing information about a vibration modulation of the incoming speech from the called/calling party.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,982,918, which issued to Kaye on Jan. 8, 1991, describes a force sensitive aircraft throttle with feedback. A force controlled throttle suitable for military or civil aircraft is described which is stowable in a console when not required for use. Fore and aft forces applied to the throttle handle by the pilot are sensed by pressure transducers which generate, in response, signals for controlling engine thrust. Tactile information relating to engine thrust demand is fed back to the pilot by means of a drive motor which tilts the throttle handle as fore or aft pressure is exerted. The angle of tilt is a function of the degree of pressure exerted and the demanded engine thrust.
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/116,237, which was filed by Levin et al. on Apr. 3, 2002, describes a haptic shifting device. The device is intended for use in shift-by-wire systems in vehicles. The haptic shift device includes a shift lever includes a shift lever manipulatable by a user. At least one sensor detects a position of the shift lever, and a transmission gear of the vehicle is caused to be changed based on the position of the shift lever. At least one electrically-controlled actuator outputs a force on the shift lever in some embodiments, the shift lever is movable within a pattern and is blocked from areas outside the boundaries of the pattern. The actuators can be active or passive, and/or a variable mechanical gate can be used to implement the pattern. Provided shifting modes can include automatic, manual, and/or sequential modes. Other shifting modes can also be provided.
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/276,571, which was filed by Wafzig on May 19, 2001, describes a method and device for issuing a feedback signal to the driver of a motor vehicle. A method and device are described for issuing a feedback signal to the driver of a motor vehicle as soon as an admissible constant load limit of a shifting element in a motor vehicle transmission, especially a starting clutch in an automatic transmission, is exceeded. The feedback signal to the driver takes the form of a haptic signal via an accelerator pedal of the motor vehicle as pulsated motion of the throttle pedal.
The patents described above are hereby expressly incorporated by reference in the description of the present invention.
Force feedback devices are known for use in association with various types of video games. An article relating to these applications, titled “Introduction: What Is Force Feedback Devices?”, describes various applications that can be used in conjunction with different types of video games.
An article titled “Piezoceramic Buzzers” describes various features, applications and test conditions relating to piezoceramic components.
An article titled “Force Feedback Joystick as a low cost haptic interface for an atomic force microscopy nanomanipulator” by Rubio-Sierra et al., describes another application of this technology.
A technical article relating to miniature vibrating motors is provided by VibratorMotor.com. The specifications of this type of motor are provided in detail, including dimensions.
It is generally known to those skilled in the art that vibration can be caused in several ways. A motor can be provided with an unbalanced weight attached to its shaft. A piezoceramic component can be excited to produce a vibration at a preselected frequency. These types of components are used in cell phones, joy sticks for video games, and other applications where either a vibratory feeling or sound vibrations are used.
In marine vessels, it has been a goal for many years to provide marine propulsion systems with engines that operate very quietly in order to enhance the enjoyment of using a marine vessel. If the engine is operating quietly and at a sufficient distance from the operator of a marine vessel, the operator may not be able to instantly detect when the engine stalls or fails to operate properly. An alarm message can be transmitted to a visual screen display or annunciator, but this may not be immediately noticed by the operator of the marine vessel. It would therefore be significantly beneficial if some method or apparatus could be provided so that the operator of the marine vessel could easily monitor the operating condition of the engine in the marine propulsion system.